According to witnesses, eight police cars sped down Manorhaven Boulevard on the evening of Dec. 26. The Nassau County police handcuffed and arrested two individuals for possession and the sale of heroin in Manorhaven. Jacklyn Seitz, 21, of 237 Doris Ave. Franklin Square and Ata Korkut, 26, of the same address, possessed and sold a quantity of heroin to another for an agreed upon amount of money.
That same night, while at an undisclosed location in Valley Stream, Seitz, Korkut and Scott Moser, 28, of 460 Rockaway Ave., Apt. 6, Valley Stream, possessed and sold a quantity of heroin to another for an agreed upon amount of money. At that time all three were placed under arrest without further incident. Seitz and Korkut are both being charged with two counts of third degree possession of a controlled substance in the and two counts third degree possession of a controlled substance. Moser is charged with seventh degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and fourth degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.
This was part of a much larger drug ring that detectives began investigating due to a fatal heroin overdose in Malverne on Dec. 22 and a non-fatal overdose that occurred on Dec. 23. From there, the detectives were able to gather information that would help them to conduct a “Buy” operation that would include Manorhaven, Valley Stream and Woodside, Queens.
During the arrest processing information, the source of the heroin was obtained from the defendants and later, that same night, at an undisclosed location in Woodside, Queens, a “Buy and Bust” operation was conducted resulting in the arrest of Jemaly Thelusma, 27, of 102-21 187th St., Hollis, Queens. At the time of his arrest he was in possession of 130 glassine envelopes of heroin. Thelusma is charged with third degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance.
Heroin is a highly addictive, fatal and inexpensive narcotic. It gives users an initial feeling of euphoria, followed by sedation, that can lead to a comatose state and even death. Due to the ease of purchasing it, as well as the low cost, it has risen in popularity amongst teenagers and young adults.
Village of Manorhaven Mayor James Avena says that he is extremely proud of the police work that was done by the Nassau County Police Department and the speed at which the drug ring was closed. He is also mindful that there is a drug problem on Long Island and is working on initiatives with the county to educate and help those who need it.
Avena stated his goal is to ultimately “wipe clean the village of illegal drugs. Whether it be through contacting the authorities, educating the residents or assisting those who are addicted, we will do whatever we can to stop this epidemic.”
